Alt-pop songstress Natalie Carr stopped by to chat about latest anthem ‘Scraped Knees’, the best advice she’d give to her younger self and why music has always been a huge part of her life

To anyone new to your music, name 3 words that best describe your sound.

I’d probably go with explicit, cross-genre, and mid-tempo. I write lyrics much like the way I speak (unfiltered) and I don’t use a lot of flowery language. I live somewhere between Pop and R&B, although I site influence from other genres as well. If I like a specific sound or instrument, I try not to box myself in and I work with what speaks to me in the moment! 

Introduce yourself (yourself) and your hidden talent!

Hey whaddup, I’m Natalie! I’m a Pop/R&B singer-songwriter from the States. My hidden talent is guessing people’s exact ages with almost perfect accuracy. I’m not sure why I’m good at this, but for some reason, I just always know?! It’s kind of a party trick until someone gets pissed off (because society tells us we should all pretend to be younger than we are for some stupid reason). 

What made you decide that music is the right path for you?

I started pursuing music because it felt like it was the only real and pure passion in my life. I was really into academia, and grew up believing that checking boxes would make me more worthy or likable by society’s standards. I thought if you got perfect grades and lived your life according to a script, then you’d be happy. However, I discovered that at my core, writing music was a non-negotiable for me. Given that life is short, I truly believe that people should live without ‘what ifs’ and do what they love. We have to make it count, as cliche as that sounds.

What’s the best advice you’d give to your younger self?

If I could tell my younger self anything, I’d tell her to trust her instincts and write/release music way earlier. I really wanted to avoid going the artist route when I was younger, because everyone constantly tells you what a long and losing battle that is. I was scared to put myself out there because of that reason, but I wish I had trusted myself! At the end of the day, if you don’t take yourself seriously, who will? Kids should be free to experiment with their hobbies, interests, and styles. It’s so necessary in finding out who you are and who you want to be in this messed up, beautiful world. 

Tell MoggBlog viewers about your latest release! What’s the inspiration behind that?

My latest release, ‘Scraped Knees,’ is about changing myself to please a romantic partner at the time. It’s about hiding your inner chaos and subscribing to what you think you have to be/look like/act like in order to maintain someone’s interest in you. I wrote it as a train of thought, and sat on it for a few weeks until we finished the production and made it into what you hear now. The hook is, ‘scraped knees, jagged teeth, bloodshot baby,” highlighting ugly traits and representations of people. I wanted to bring attention to being imperfect and being messy, as opposed to polished and put-together.

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